Kelvin De La Cruz threw off a half mound today while continuing his recovery from a left hamstring injury. He’s expected to be cleared to throw a regular bullpen session.

“I think things went well with De La Cruz,” said manager Buck Showalter. “Richie (Bancells) will give me that report shortly.”

Miguel Gonzalez, bothered by some tightness in his lower back, played catch this morning. The Orioles will check on him Tuesday morning before determining whether he’s ready for a bullpen session.

“He should be OK,” Showalter said. “Maybe. It will probably be tomorrow morning before we decide. We’ll see how he feels after coming in.”

Showalter indicated that he could choose one player in camp to serve as the full-time designated hitter. He’s not married to the idea of going with a platoon.

“I’m not going to start telling somebody that they can’t do something,” he said. “For example, Delmon Young. This guy’s hit right and left handed pitchers. And I can come up with three or four. If you look at Henry (Urrutia’s) numbers in the minor leagues. If you look at Steve Pearce.

“I wouldn’t say going into it that we’ve already made that decision. We’ve got some guys with a track record of hitting both of them.”

Showalter also said there’s “always that possibility” that the Orioles could obtain a player during spring training who fits as a full-time designated hitter.

“It’s one thing to have the ability to acquire players during the offseason, whether it be monetarily or whatever, but it’ also a big feather in your hat to have the ability to do it late in spring,” Showalter said. “What happens is, a lot of people (in late March) are seeing what their club looks like and they realize they have some excess.”

Showalter would prefer a full-time DH, “and I think we have the potential to have some better contributions out of the DH spot this year. But how many DH-only (players) are there?”